Smooth operator

Can retinol pack the wrinkle-reducing power without the irritation? Chloe Malle test-drives a new generation of kinder formulas rebooting the superstar skincare ingredient

Soon after I had my second child and the tight, brioche-bun sheen of pregnancy skin had faded to a postpartum gefilte-fish grey, I saw a meme on the Instagram stories of a younger friend's younger sister: "If The O.C. was your favourite show in 2004, it's time to add retinol to your skincare routine," it read in sans serif letters over a cast photo of the beloved early-aughts high-school dramedy. Already in college when it aired, I was a little too old to be gripped by Mischa Barton's teenage shenanigans, but the reference immediately aged me.

A month later, a male friend caught me similarly off-guard. "Do you use retinol? Should I use retinol?" he asked earnestly. There is apparently a special French formula that isn't even allowed in the United States, he relayed, wide-eyed. Retinol had become that person you meet at a party, and then run into repeatedly thereafter.

That's likely due to the fact that at 37, I am starting to seriously think about wrinkles and how to get rid of them. But there also seems to be a retinol renaissance afoot thanks to new technology, green and clean formulas and, of course, the medical school of TikTok, where interest in the multitasking molecule that promises to ward off the earliest signs of ageing has generated over 3.2 billion views.